2 charged in scheme to defraud Burlington City nonprofit; 'key player' still at large

By Matt ChiappardiStaff writer

Friday

Jul 27, 2012 at 12:01 AMJul 27, 2012 at 9:30 AM

MOUNT HOLLY — Authorities believe they’ve caught two of the people involved in a sophisticated fraud scheme to rip off a Burlington City nonprofit for nearly $40,000.

Sonya Peters, 37, of Willingboro, is facing charges of theft by deception for her alleged role cashing counterfeit payroll checks from The Arc of Burlington County over a seven-day period in August.

Authorities also have charged Jason Jefferson, 24, of Newark, in connection with the case.

Jefferson is being held in the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark on unrelated charges, and is expected to be transferred to Burlington County soon.

Police say they are but two suspects out of at least five, and authorities are still searching for what they called the “key player” in the alleged plot.

During Peters’ first appearance in Superior Court on Thursday, Burlington County Assistant Prosecutor Jennifer Paszkiewicz said the defendant is believed to be involved in a $200,000 fraud conspiracy that goes well beyond the August incidents.

Authorities said the scheme involved at least seven communities in Burlington County, as well as others in Camden County and Pennsylvania.

Peters has not yet been charged in those incidents.

In Burlington City, she is accused of being among at least five people who went to banks in town 53 times over a week to cash fake payroll checks for about $800 each from the nonprofit.

The documents were copied so precisely, including ascending check numbers, bank tellers were not able to tell the difference, Burlington City police said.

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